By Isra Nadeem 

During the past few weeks we discovered a legislative vehicle that will allow a bill to come to the floor that contains 14 billion dollars to Israel, this vehicle is known as a discharge petition. Our goal for this week is to call out those who signed this petition and thank everyone who didn’t. We know that this discharge petition needs 218 signatures and as of right now there are 177. We ask those who have signed the petition to remove their name and we started a tracker so you can keep track of everyone who said they will vote NO on more aid to Israel!

Monday, March 11th

On Monday, three CODEPINK peace activists, Moataz Salim, Julia Norman, and Yosi Zelalem, disrupted a Senate Hearing on "Global Threats" to demonstrate their fight for justice. These young activists, aggravated by the hearing, shouted statements such as "Stop arming Israel, "Stop killing my people in Gaza!" and "Stop supporting the starvation of children!". Moataz, a Palestinian-American with family in Gaza, has suffered immense loss as our tax dollars are being spent on weapons to send to Israel. He felt compelled to disrupt because, as he puts it, "Israel's actions do more to destabilize the Middle East than any other actor in the region." All three activists were arrested and detained. In highlighting the hypocrisy during the hearing, they shined a light on the need for accountability and transparency in our system as the US is funding a genocide. 

Tuesday, March 12th

During the AIPAC conference held at the National Harbor in Maryland on Tuesday, we seized the chance to unveil the complicity of elected officials in genocide and their disregard for their constituents who want a ceasefire. Many AIPAC members came to congress, and despite attempts by the lobbyists and congresspeople to convene in secrecy amid a genocide, we made our presence known, exposing AIPAC—the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—as the extremist and warmongering lobby group it is. We handed out flyers showing the starvation the people of Gaza are facing and also had conversations with members, asking why they would support such a cause. When challenged about their efforts to procure support for Israel's actions in Congress, even by fellow Jewish individuals, many ran away or remained silent, reflective of their complicity in the genocide in Gaza. We also got the opportunity to speak to Jim McGovern, who introduced the discharge petition that could allow Democrats to send weapons to Israel faster. Listen to our conversation with him.

Wednesday, March 13th

On Wednesday, we went to Nancy Pelosi's office to try to speak with her. We intended to convey the message that women, especially those in Gaza, should be treated with understanding and care. Unfortunately, our presence was not appreciated, and we were rudely dismissed. Later that day, we attended a press conference that was in support of a bill that contained $60 billion for Ukraine, of which an additional $14 billion would be allocated to Israel. We attended the conference with the message that the American people no longer want to provide weapons to Israel and that over 80% of Democrats want a ceasefire. 

Thursday, March 14th

On Thursday we made the discharge petition our top priority and decided to visit different offices to thank the people who haven't signed the petition. We also advised them to stand firm and refuse to sign it. Unfortunately, we found out that some offices were planning to sign it despite not having done so yet. We explained to them the consequences of pushing the petition through and how it would affect the people of Gaza. Currently, 45 democrats have not signed it. During our visit to Sharice Davids' office, we discovered that she had not called for a ceasefire due to finding it a complicated issue. As an indigenous person, we hoped she would understand the rights of native people.

 Friday, March 15th

We had a strong finish to the week with meetings with people who have not yet signed the petition. We are still applying pressure on those who have signed to remove their name, and encouraging those who haven't signed to remain steadfast in their decision. This will help prevent the people of Gaza from being bombed with additional military weaponry provided by the US.